'Did It For Views': Saudi Police Dismiss UP Man's Hostage Claims As Social Media Stunt

Saudi Arabian police have rejected the claims of a 25-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district, who alleged in a viral video that he was being held against his will in the Gulf country. In a statement on X, the spokesperson for the Eastern Province Police said the claims were found to be baseless, and the man had recorded and published the content for the purpose of increasing views on his social media account."It was found that he had recorded and published the content for the purpose of increasing the number of views on his social media account. There was no dispute between him and his employer, and the necessary legal measures were taken against him in coordination with the relevant authorities," the police said, sharing that the man had been

summoned.

'I will die': UP man claims he's 'trapped' in Saudi Arabia

In the video, the man is seen speaking in Bhojpuri with a camel in the background. "My village is in Allahabad… I came to Saudi Arabia. Kapil has my passport. I told him I need to go home, but he is threatening to kill me," the unidentified man is seen saying as he pleads for help, urging viewers to "share this video". "Please help me, I will die; I need to go to my mother. Share this video as much as possible. Look, there is nobody here nearby, nobody is here — look brother, I will die. Share this video so much that it should reach up to the Prime Minister," he says.The clip was shared by Delhi-based criminal lawyer Kalpana Shrivastav on X and later the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia issued a response saying that the mission has not been able to "locate the person".

"No further action can be taken as the video does not contain any details about the location/province in Saudi Arabia, or contact number or employer details," the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia said on X.